Disclaimed: Valvrave is not owned by me.

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xXx

In the end there wasn't much of a choice to make.

Sure, they had told each student they could choose. They had the right to decide whether they wanted to pledge loyalty to the new country or not. Everyone was free to decline L-Elf's offer.

If they wanted to die, that is.

Their ship held many wounded and their medical supplies would not last long. Some of the students needed real medical facilities. Not necessarily a doctor, but a few packets of blood for transfusions at least. They could not remain on the ship, but they had nowhere else to go.

Regardless of the broadcast, many people were still bound to believe they were monsters.

There was no guarantee they wouldn't be attacked if they tried asking help from other countries.

Their choice was made from the beginning. Everyone had accepted L-Elf's terms. Just as he knew they would. In one move he had removed what was left of the old government and secured power over the Module. It had been a cold and utterly ruthless move.

Just like L-Elf.

No, just like L-Elf when there was not someone around to soften his harsher tendencies.

Like Haruto.

Shoko shook her head. No, there was no time. She had cried enough. She had to look for L-Elf. She had to find him.

She needed to know where he had put the body.

Shoko shivered. She couldn't even stand the thought. Body. Thinking of Haruto like that was … wrong. It was wrong in ways she could not even begin to explain, and if she tried she had a feeling she would end up crying again.

So Shoko put on a brave face, took a step forward…. and immediately ran into a familiar face.

"Akira-chan?" The words left her mouth before she could stop herself.

Of course she would run into her. Currently all the students were in the lower levels of the Module. If Shoko's hunch was right, they were right beneath Sakimori Academy. Regardless of how much she wanted to see her home again, it was better this way.

Blood did not come off so easily.

With all the students in a relatively small area, running into Akira made… sense?

Shoko blinked. Her brain started working.

Akira. Outside. Akira walking outside. No bags. No box. No blushing. Just Akira. Outside. Like a normal person.

Shoko felt a burst of pride and for a moment she wanted to hug the other girl. She did not. Could not. She was at loss of how to act around the girl after everything that had happened.

After everything she had done.

Akira had no such problems.

"Sashinami-san," she said. "Do you mind?"

Eh?

Sashinami…san?

"You're blocking the way," the redhead repeated with such coldness, Shoko found herself doing what she asked.

Not bothering to say anything else, Akira made her way past Shoko. She did not look back even once. She did not glare or shout at her.

She had barely acknowledged her. As if she was a stranger now.

Shoko stared at Akira's retreating back. If she followed Akira, she could probably find L-Elf. Yes, she just needed to walk behind Akira or maybe even alongside her. She raised her arm to call out to her, but…

But.

The distance was way too big.

xXx

In President Anderson's experience, good things rarely came alone.

For that reason, the differences between good situations and bad ones were less than people may think. A life of politics had taught him that. When good happened, you always needed to be prepared for the bad. When bad things happened, you needed to be ready to take advantage of the opportunity.

It was basic politics.

"Mister President, over here please," one of his aides said while leading him to the improvised stage they had built on the ship. The president had to admit they had done a good job. The podium looked elegant enough and the flag behind it was the appropriate size for the event.

The cameras were ready and waiting to transmit his words to every citizen in ARUS.

His ship had not reached Earth yet, but this was a necessity.

The kids from Module 77 had changed the game. For the first time, the Magius were exposed.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't happy about it. On the surface the Council of 101 was an organization of Magius and influential, powerful humans who led the world. That description could not be further from the truth.

The Council of 101 was made by Magius for Magius. People considered him one of the most powerful men in the world, but at the end of the day he was but a slave to the Magius.

It galled him. It infuriated him. It terrified him.

Magius were monsters. They watched from the shadows. They had eyes and ears everywhere. You could never be sure if the person you were talking to was actually one of them.

He could not fight them. They were too well hidden for that.

Until now.

The kids had shone the spotlight on them. Unfortunately, that light was too close to him as well. If his dealings with the Magius became known, he would be in danger. That was why he could not afford to miss an opportunity like this.

With heavy steps he made his way to the podium.

"Are you ready, Mister President?" his aide asked. President Jeffrey Anderson nodded.

"Alright, you're live in five, four, three, two, one..."

"Citizens of ARUS," he said. His voice was clear; his expression, resolute. There was no turning back now.

"You have no doubt seen many things in the past hours. You have heard rumors. You have discovered many things that changed our basic understanding of the world around us. You are confused. You have a hard time telling myth from truth," he said. "I come here to you today to dispel all doubts."

He took a deep breath. This was it.

"The Magius are real."

Even in the confines of the room, he could feel the tension triple.

"I saw with my own eyes as Chancellor Amadeus was mortally wounded," He went on. "I saw how he healed in a way no human ever could. What I have witnessed can be interpreted in no other way. Chancellor Amadeus was not human!"

He paused for a moment. He needed to let the gravity of that statement sink in.

"I know not what went through his mind when he revealed his fellow non-humans," he went on. It would not do for the people to forget about Module 77 or their non-human status. "I cannot understand his reasons or motives."

"I only know he betrayed us all!" He said, adding just the right amount of righteous indignation in his voice. "For a moment, I dared to hope our two nations would achieve peace. I do not hate Dorssia and I held nothing but respect for Chancellor Amadeus. I thought he was a man of great qualities and believed that had circumstances been kinder I would have been proud to call him my friend."

He cast his gaze down for an instant. He needed them to feel it. The indignation. The anger. The promise of peace followed by betrayal.

After that, it was just a matter of directing it toward a proper target.

"Amadeus lied to us. His offer of peace was nothing but deceit and manipulation for his own ends. The Class 7 Dangerous Lifeforms… the Magius have done nothing but manipulate us all! Citizens of ARUS, hear me! We must band together. We must root them out and expose them. Together we can end their reign!"

"But," the President said, his voice softer now. "I understand some of you may doubt me. I am aware of some of the rumors floating around. But know this, I am human and I intend to prove it right now."

He reached out his hand to his aide. Even though they had planned this, the man was still nervous as he put a knife on the president's hand.

President Anderson did not hesitate. In one swift move, he stabbed his own hand. White hot pain lit up every nerve in his hand. His teeth sank into the inside of his cheek. He could not afford to break down here. Not one cry of pain. Not one single tear.

"Look," he shouted, presenting his wound after taking out the knife. "My blood is as red as yours. My wounds heal just as slowly and they hurt just as much. But this pain is nothing if it allows me to regain your trust! Join me, citizens! Let us work together and humanity will prevail!"

With that final message, the broadcast ended. Tremendous applause exploded all over the room even as the ship's doctor started to treat his wound.

"That was fantastic, Mister President," his aide said.

The President smiled.

"It is good to know I still have it in me," he said, before handling the knife back to his aide. "Now it is your turn."

His aide looked at the knife.

"Sir?"

"Cut yourself," the president ordered, voice cold. "And once we are certain you are human, we will go through the rest of the crew."

He had learned from Amadeus' failure. No Magius was going to sneak on him.

This was an opportunity and he was not going to let anything ruin it.

xXx

As a rule, Saki did not trust adults.

Abusive parents had put a big dent in her ability to trust others and show business had taken care of the rest. People were self-centered and self-serving. They will be nice to you while they can get something out of it, and then throw you away like a used cloth. That was the absolute truth.

Rukino Saki was a very cynical young girl.

Even so, she had not quite expected this level of shamelessness from ARUS's president.

"He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?" She said to no one in particular.

They were in a small conference room. Previously it had been used by scientists of the Valvrave project. Now, the closest thing they had to a government was gathered here.

L-Elf, as their de facto leader, was at the head of the table. Satomi and Kibukawa-sensei each had seats, and it went without saying she and Akira were there. After all they were…

Saki's hand clenched into a fist.

…the only remaining Valvrave pilots.

"It was a necessary move on his part," L-Elf said, saving Saki from getting lost in her thoughts.

On L-Elf's orders, Akira had leaked a list of potential members of the Council of 101 into the internet. Thanks to her hacking skills, the list had already found its way to every major social network and news site.

The list had included the President's name.

"True," Kibukawa-sense said. "The way things are, he needed to regain the trust of the people even by a little. As things are now, they would crucify him if his dealings with the Magius to come to light."

And not necessarily in a metaphorical way.

"And while at it, he stirs up the Anti-Magius Sentiment even more," Saki added. She understood that much. He had put a nice little target on all things non-human. "He might as well have told them to riot."

The world was shameless.

Satomi slammed his hands on the table. "Should we really be talking so calmly about this? Shouldn't we do something about it? After all, we were the ones who exposed the Magius to the world!"

Uncomfortable looks appeared all around the table. It had been the only way to grasp victory against the combined might of Dorssia and ARUS. They had exposed the truth of the world.

In doing so, they may have started a world-wide witch hunt.

"Who knows how many riots are happening right now," Satomi said, looking down while running a hand through his hair.

"Twenty-seven," Akira said, not looking up from her computer's screen. Her fingers typed away with lightning speed. "There have been twenty-seven major riots worldwide. Smaller riots number over a hundred. That's without counting Dorssia, which is entering a civil war."

The Royalists did not waste time.

"Speaking of Dorssia," Saki said, cutting off whatever Satomi was about say. "What is he doing here?"

The others followed her pointed finger to the final occupant in the room. Said occupant stared back at them, unflinching.

"My goal is to liberate Dorssia." A-Drei did not say more. It was clear he believed that was enough of an explanation.

Saki raised an eyebrow. Clad in his Dorssian uniform, A-Drei could not have looked more out of place. While Saki bore no grudge against him, she had to admit the way he could pretend there was nothing wrong with him standing there in spite of the many times he had attacked them was almost admirable.

Almost.

"Shouldn't you have stuck with the Royalists then?" Saki asked the obvious question first.

"Our goals do not necessarily coincide," A-Drei replied. "Staying here provides me with greater odds of success."

A self-serving goal. As good as excuse as any, but Saki knew better. The quick and furtive way his gaze darted towards L-Elf every now and then was not something she had missed. She allowed a small smirk to grace her features and gave him a knowing look.

A-Drei refused to acknowledge the look, though his cheeks gained a reddish tint the next time he laid eyes on L-Elf.

Saki fought the urge to chuckle. Obvious. He was way too obvious.

"A-Drei will serve as our liaison to the Royalists," L-Elf said, settling the matter once and for all. "Our alliance with them has benefited us in the past and it shall continue to do so."

The official reason. Not that anyone in the room had any intention of throwing A-Drei out of the Module. As they were, all extra hands were welcomed.

"Wait!" Satomi finally had enough of being ignored. "Aren't we moving away from the main point? What should we do about the mass panic?"

"Renbokoji Satomi," L-Elf said, before anyone else could answer. "What do you think we should do?"

"Eh?" The teenager looked at a loss, not having expected to be put on the spot. "Well… I… the Valvraves-"

"Kibukawa," L-Elf said. "Enlighten us as to the status of the five Valvraves."

The older man sighed.

"We have successfully recovered what was left of Unit III and V, which is not much. They are little more than junk parts at this point. The engines are usable, but we'll have to build the rest from scratch. Unit IV is in dire need of repairs. Only Unit I and Unit VI are combat capable right now and Unit I…"

He did not finish.

He did not have to.

There was no pilot for Unit I.

Satomi leaned back on his chair, the fight taken out of him by the reality of their situation. They barely had any military power. If any country chose to attack them right now, they wouldn't make it.

"I have taken some steps to remedy this situation," L-Elf said. "The Royalists have agreed to give us 10 Kirschbaums. They should be delivered in the coming weeks. A-Drei, you will be in charge of coordinating the delivery."

Everyone stared.

"How…? When?" Saki took a deep breath. "You know what? I don't want to know."

"We'll need pilots," Kibukawa said.

"I don't think we'll have trouble finding volunteers," L-Elf said, and there was something in his smile that made Saki want to punch him. Of course, there would be volunteers. There was not a single person in the Module who had not lost someone.

Angry teenagers with revenge in mind. Easy to exploit and manipulate.

"In any case, the selection process can wait for now," L-Elf said.

"And what about the selection for Unit I's pilot."

Let it never be said Kibukawa shied away from uncomfortable subjects.

"The matter can be discussed at a later date," L-Elf said and his voice made it clear it was not a suggestion.

Kibukawa would not be deterred.

"It can't. The Valvraves need Runes. Unit 1 and its pilot are the main providers. While the reduced number of units is bound to make the upkeep cost less, Runes are still a finite resource. If no new pilot is chosen, our main military assets will become useless."

It was the truth and Saki hated it.

Seeking a replacement pilot was the logical thing. Of course it was. However, Saki was certain she would never be able to accept someone else sitting in the cockpit.

The thought of anyone trying to take Haruto's place galled her. Who did they think they were? How dare they treat him like a replaceable part?

She knew Kibukawa meant well but she had never been angrier at him.

A feeling L-Elf shared.

"The matter will be discussed at a later date," he repeated. If looks could kill, Kibukawa would already be 6 feet under, provided L-Elf didn't decide to burn the body and throw it into space first.

Kibukawa sighed, but nodded. It was obvious he was going to make no headway in this matter today.

"Renbokoji Satomi," L-Elf said, moving on to the next item on the agenda. "How are the students?"

Satomi was a bit startled at being addressed directly, but managed to recover. "Eh, yes. We have some wounded, but they are all stable. Kibukawa-sensei already treated the worst of the lot. Takahi and Otamaya have the rest under control."

Well, more like Takahi had things under control and Otamaya was doing whatever she told him to do. The purple-headed otaku was more at home with machines than with people.

"Good, we have enough places for them to sleep, but we'll need to move them to the dorms eventually. Arrange for a clean-up crew as soon as possible."

Satomi paled a bit. Clean up crew. A nice way of saying he had to find people willing to clean up all the dead bodies in the school.

"Y-yes."

"I'll help," Saki said, raising her hand.

"Me too," added Akira.

Satomi shot a thankful look to the two, but made a mental note to try to get Akira to change her mind while they were alone.

His sister should not be around corpses.

"Renbokoji Akira," L-Elf said, moving to the next item. "Have you found the accounts I asked for?"

The girl nodded. "Most of them have been taken by ARUS' corporations. Their security is good, but I should be able to take care of it with Unit VI's system."

Bank accounts. JIOR had lost more than territory during Dorssia's takeover. Many people had lost their lives. Some of them poor and some of them quite rich.

This had resulted in quite a few bank accounts and other financial assets without a legitimate owner. ARUS had not been slow to act. Many of JIOR's financial assets had been taken over by ARUS under the pretense of safe-keeping. While they had depended on ARUS' aid, this had been a tolerable situation.

With the world in chaos, they could afford to take some liberties.

"Only take 10% of the biggest ones," L-Elf said, shaking his head. "Emptying the accounts would be too noticeable. Siphon the money over the next two weeks. We cannot afford to let our funds run low right now."

Satomi raised a hand. "Is this really okay? I mean, this is theft no matter how you look at it."

"So I'm a thief?"

Confronted with his sister's frowning face, Satomi panicked. "Ah, n-no. Onii-chan didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

The girl turned her head away, but it was obvious her heart wasn't in it. At least to Saki. Satomi was two steps from prostrating before his sister. A-Drei scoffed and turned to the side.

This had been the group of people that repelled all their attacks?

In true A-Drei fashion, he decided to take it as a testament to L-Elf's great skills rather than any flaw on his part.

"If you are quite done," L-Elf said, ending the Sibling Comedy Theater. "JIOR's assets were stolen away by Dorssia and ARUS. We're merely recovering them."

"So we're JIOR now?" Saki teased. L-Elf's explanation might hold water if they were the old JIOR, but they had declared themselves as an entirely new nation.

"The name could prove useful in the future," L-Elf said, allowing himself a satisfied smile. "I see no reason to discard it yet."

L-Elf checked his watch.

"That will be all for today," he said. "I expect all of you at 6:00 am tomorrow."

Inwardly, Saki groaned.

She had little problems with letting L-Elf run the country, but why did he have to make all the meetings so damn early?

xXx

H-Neun did not like Magius.

There were a number of reasons for this, most prominent among them being the stupid device they had planted on his back.

Cain had knocked him out that night. With embarrassing ease even. He hated that man.

He had woken up in a dark room with a bruised ego and one hell of an aching back. That thing was already there. The device had burrowed into his flesh, making it impossible to take out.

A voice had explained how things were going to work from that point on. It had said many things. Many of which he did not quite understand.

What the hell were Runes anyway?

Understanding had come later. They locked him in a cell and gave him the bare minimum to live. He had not taken the food. Who knew what drugs they had put there?

After two days he could barely walk.

It did not make sense. His body should not be this weak! He was trained in the harshest conditions. He had gone for more than a week without food in the middle of hostile territory. Two days in a cell were nothing. They shouldn't have been, yet his body ached worse than the time Cain had chosen him as a sparring partner.

They had explained. The thing on his back drained his body's Runes or whatever. They had put him in a machine after that.

It had been his first Rune Injection. It was like the oxygen he never noticed he needed until he lost it. He had been refreshed, reenergized.

Alive.

They had let him wander out of the cell after that, and H-Neun understood why.

He couldn't run away. Whatever the device on his back was, it was draining his body of something. Trying to run away was a death sentence. He had timed it, decided to see how long he could last.

Three days was the limit.

He could remain functional for one day without Runes. By the second day, he had trouble walking. By the third, he might as well be a corpse.

H-Neun was trapped.

Then there were those soldiers of theirs walking around the base. It would not be so bad if they all didn't have even less of a personality than L-Elf. He was going to die of boredom at this rate, surrounded by stone faced, all work no fun soldiers.

H-Neun was starting to see just what Cain had in mind when he made all those modifications to the Karlstein Institute.

Damn Magius.

Worse, there was not a single female around. Not that the Dorssian military was swimming in females, but at least it had Kriemhild.

As far as H-Neun was concerned that was all the woman anyone needed.

But he had none of that here. He was trapped, bound, and turned into a servant. H-Neun had many reasons to dislike the Magius.

He would say one good thing of them though.

Cloaking tech? Awesome.

They could have definitely used that technology during the war. He could already see the possibilities. Slap it on a battleship and watch your enemy go boom.

Or, equip it on a humble Splicer and sneak into the enemy stronghold.

Kind of like he was doing now.

He would have preferred an IDEAL or even a Waffe. Splicers were just so… ARUS (ugh), but that was the point. It was hardly the first time H-Neun used equipment associated with another country for a stealth operation.

And really, if he stayed any longer at that base he was going to go crazy. He really had to thank Dr. Tokishima for this little "road trip."

When the doctor told him what he needed to do, H-Neun had thought he was joking. He had to be. There was no way he was going to convince the Magius to let him out.

A few hours later, he was in the cockpit of a Splicer after receiving a Rune Injection. Supposedly, this one would last longer than usual.

Now if only the damn trip could be over already. How many hours had it been now?

He was starting to appreciate Q-Vier's habit of always carrying a handheld console with him. Why couldn't his target have been on Earth? At least that way he could have something to look at. As it was, the darkness of space was his only company.

God, he missed his squad.

Even the annoying little psychopath.

Had they cried for him?

Had Kriemhild cried for him?

Probably not.

H-Neun shook his head. No way. He was not about to get sentimental. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Once he escaped, that is.

A proximity alarm made him look at his controls. His face lit up with a grin.

There it was.

"Isn't that a sight for sore eyes?" H-Neun said to himself.

Module 77 was in sight.

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xXx

AN: And done. Faster than I thought too.

Did not mean to start with more Shoko suffering, but it ended up working that way. Akira can really hold a grudge.

Surprised to see A-Drei in Module 77? The guy is not going to let L-Elf out of his sight if he has any say in it here.

BFFs and all that.

I didn't plan for the President's scene to take so much time. Dirty politicians steal even time. In the anime, this guy was scared to death of the Magius, but at the end it seems like he's going to take advantage of the chaos. You're seeing some of that here.

He's not exactly an ally though. Far from it really.

The meeting scene was tough. Not used to writing so many characters in one room, but I did manage to do everything I wanted. Of course, L-Elf can get 10 giant robots off-screen. He's hilariously competent like that.

Next time: The remaining Karlstein boys in one Module? Class reunion? Maybe. Maybe not.

Probably not.

You can certainly expect H-Neun action though.